The present invention relates to a support assembly for an exhaust system of a motor vehicle.
A conventional support assembly, such as designated generally by 20, in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, includes a strip bracket 22 bolted at one end portion 22a to the frame 24 of the vehicle body, an arcuate strip bracket 26 fixed at one end portion 26a by a bolt 28 to a clamp 30 fitted over an exhaust pipe 32 of the exhaust system and a vibration absorbing member 34 through which the two brackets are joined by means of adhesive to each other thereby preventing the transmission of vibration from the exhaust pipe 32 to the bracket 22 through the bracket 26. When the body of the motor vehicle and therefore the exhaust pipe 32 vibrate vertically and laterally, the vibration absorbing member 34 suffers not only a shearing load but also a bending and/or twisting load, and, as a result, the vibration absorbing member 34 can become detached from the brackets, or broken, in which case the exhaust system can fall on the road and cause extreme inconvenience if not an accident.